Remains of the Day: Release valve

An authoritative source casts doubt on Tim Cook’s Valve visit, a story suggests Apple still has oh-so-secret plans for its cash, and the very latest in green power for data centers. The remainders for Friday, April 20, 2012 were made to suffer; it’s their lot in life.

Remember that story about Tim Cook supposedly visiting game-maker Valve? Turns out it was just that—a story. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell said on a podcast that Cook didn’t meet with anybody at Valve, and never came to the company’s office. Hate to break it to you, Gabe, but Tim Cook is such a smooth operator that by the time he walked out of that building he owned Valve.

If you thought that paying dividends and making stock buybacks would quell analysts’ constant questioning about Apple’s plans to for its cash holdings, well, you clearly don’t know analysts. The rumor de jour is that Apple is buying up crucial elements for its supply chain. You know, this is a terrible secret plan: I still maintain they should have spent the money hollowing out an island volcano for Tim Cook’s lair.

Prineville, Oregon is the site for Apple’s latest data center; an Apple spokesperson said the facility will run on 100 percent renewable energy, mostly sourced from the hopes and dreams of Prineville’s citizens. Don’t worry, they’re totally renewable.